Do Not Sleep at The Source Bar, Maidstone 28.10.17

The last couple of years on the White Isle has seen the brand Do Not Sleep rise towards the top of the game, having only launched back in 2014 at Booom Ibiza as a Winter Party. The underground brand has since developed into a firm favourite on the island's timetable, as well as becoming a radio show and reputable record label. During it's time the party has showcased and moulded some of the industry’s finest and most respected DJs, such as label boss Darius Syrossian, George Smeddles, Leon and Sante. The brand brings a unique energy to their parties; keeping the foundations of the dance floor rocking throughout the nocturnal hours, while focusing on the music as it's core and true to it's name; losing sleep in the process!
After finishing a further successful season in Ibiza, hosting the infamous Sankeys club every Tuesday, the powerhouse brand's next venture landed in Maidstone, presented by local brand Contact. Here in Kent, for a one night street party at The Source Bar, they would be sure to deliver an invigorating debut on the Halloween weekend.

For our review of the production and sound of The Source Bar street, check out our AFTRS review.

DJ Sets

Mihalis Safras
Residing from Athens in Greece, Mihalis Safras has brought some serious heat to his performances, resulting in his name spreading throughout the scene these past few years. His contributions to the industry have recently brought critical accolade, winning "Newcomer" DJ at the 2016 DJ Awards. Aside from Djing, Mihalis also co-founded the record label "Material" alongisde Mark Broom back in 2006, which has featured many notable releases. He joined us at The Source Bar following the jovial vibe created by the previous DJ Ronnie Spiteri, getting the crowd grooving along to the 1989 classic "Pump up the Jam" by Technotronic. As the set transgressed he cranked it up a notch and delivered those vicious Safras basslines, with a recent banger by Camelphat entitled "Magic Stick". The tempo continued at a high pace, with constant hair raising build ups and thumping drops, leaving us immovable from the street. In our opinion, this was the stand out set of the night, thank you Mihalis.

Huxley
Playing after Mihalis Safras was a DJ with experience and a skillset above and beyond his years in the industry; Huxley. Having seen the No Idea's Original label boss earlier in the year at a Solid Grooves party in London, we knew we were in for a right ol' treat! It can be difficult to tell what style of set you're in for with Huxley, his diversity as a DJ and vast knowledge of genres can leave you guessing every time. He could hit you right in the feels with his deeper, emotive track selection or delve into some absolute stompers, bringing out your dirtiest bass face. Luckily enough for us he loaded his armoury with some bad boy belters! On a night where Safras had the crowd fired right up, Huxley kept the tempo high and dropped one of Brett Gould's latest releases, "Believe". The track drove through the speakers in the street with power and authority, leading to a ecstatic cheer from the packed out venue. Bringing out banger after banger, we later heard "You High Yet" by David Keno, creating a bouncy tech house vibe, it's a track that can keep any crowd moving along to it's funky beat. Another brilliant set from the international DJ.

Darius Syrossian
There aren't many ravers out there who wouldn’t have heard of the Do Not Sleep chief, Darius Syrossian. A man who's been an idol for many in the house and techno scene, and who’s parties are revelled by thousands, renowned for no-nonsense high quality dance music. Following on from Huxley, the main man was on closing duties and kept the groove rolling into the early hours of the morning. Choosing to follow a slightly different tempo and sound that the preceding acts had opted for, Darius selected a slower, more melodic rhythm. Uplifting the crowd and creating a sense of euphoria as they sang along to tracks like Andrew Meller’s reincarnation remix of the timeless masterpiece ‘Underworld’ by Born Slippy. Though not as high tempo, or heavy as the rest of the night, it still had those unanticipated drops, keeping the crowd's attention and locking them to the street.

credit : The Source

Overall

A strong showing from Contact and Do Not Sleep, resulting in another big brand to cross off the debutant list for The Source Bar. The atmosphere and tracks were pumping throughout, matched with some impressive production and custom DNS visuals in the street. Co2 cannons also added that extra bit of excitement during DJ sets, however can overwhelm the music's sound levels in the street. The popularity of the street parties are also ever increasing, which can result in the area close to the stage becoming overly crowded at times. Further speakers towards the back of the street may help to spread out the crowd in future. Undoubtably it won't be the last time we see another big brand hit the street, as The Source continues to dominate Kent's underground music scene. 7.5/10